The third London Olympics sees a country which is very different from the first time the games were hosted here. Care of the House of Commons Library, here are the key statistics.

Causes of death

Cancers caused just 6% of deaths in 1908 - and heart disease was not a significant killer. Now those figures have changed beyond recognition, not least because we all live longer and many of those alive at the beginning of the twentieth century would not survive long enough to get them.

Married with children?

It's become an accepted truth that women are getting married and having children later. And that is certainly true as far as marriage is concerned (in addition to the fact that fewer women are getting married anyway). But in terms of births, it's only the case if you go back to the late 1960s. In fact, the average age of women at birth is now 29.6 today - barely changed from the 1938 figure of 29.

Shape of Britain

The UK's population is a lot bigger now than when London first hosted the Olympics - particularly at the older end of the age range. In 1901, only 5% of the population was aged over 65; now that is predicted to reach 23% by 2035 - and a third of children born now will live to 100. All of which also means a bigger 'dependent population' - which has to be supported by the working age population.

Migration and population change

Migration has become the story of population growth in Britain. That change is the result of natural change (births and deaths), immigration and emigration. The number that's left is the 'total change' - and since the mid-1990s, there have been more people coming into the country than leaving it - 'net migration' - and the UK's fertility rate is the highest it has been for 40 years.

Who builds houses?

The first place in Britain to introduce council housing was Bethnal Green in London in 1896. Fast forward to the end of the second world war, and you hit the social housing boom - which led to 5m council houses built from 1946 to 1981. Now the situation is very different, following right to buy in the 1980s, hardly any social housing is being built now. Now, owner-occupier rates stand at 67%.

Inequality rises, falls and rises again

99% v the 1%? Even when the games came to London for the first time it was nearer 81% v 19%. By 1948, the richest 1% had 11% of national income - and 69% of the national wealth. This had gone down to 6% in the mid-1970s, or 20% of national wealth. That share of national wealth started going up again in the 1980s and is still rising.

The gold standard

At one time, gold was the currency of the nation, bu the pound has not been tied to its value since 1931 and the great depression. From the end of the last war, the US dollar was tied to gold prices and other currencies were pegged to it - the Bretton Woods system. Since then the Bank of England's gold stocks have gradually dwindled, but even a sell-off by then chancellor Gordon Brown at the end of the 1990s has still left substantial stocks.

The economy

After each of the previous London Olympics, there was a GDP boost immediately after. But that looks unlikely for 2012.

But if you look at the national debt - below - it is much lower than its post-war peak, when Britain's wartime role following the great depression had left it broke.

What we believe

Public opinion now has shifted, subtly in some cases, since the mid-1940s and the austerity games. The changes seem quite surprising now: we are more likely to believe in life after death, support voluntary euthanasia and, interestingly given it has been banned since the 1960s, are more in favour of capital punishment. At the same time, we are less satisfied with our government and our jobs.

What we eat

In 1948, chicken was a special treat - around 1m birds were consumed. Now that number has grown to 125m. At the same time, for an island nation, our consumption of fish has changed too - with scarcity pushing up the traditional staple of fish and chips, cod, prices to make it a rarity.

What entertains us

The post-war period was the hey day of huge cinema audiences - something killed by increased ownership of TVs, and the video boom of the 1980s. That audience has come back in recent years but is still a long way from its peak.

How we consume music has changed too - and the chart below shows a small but growing digital sector.

How we travel

In 1948, it was buses, coaches and rail; now it is cars.

How we vote

When London first hosted the Olympics, women were not allowed to vote - something which did not apply on equal terms until 1928. 1918 and the end of the war also saw a record low turnout when 100 MPs stood unopposed. In 2001, turnout fell back down to 70% and has not recovered since.

In 1908, the Labour party was a newish, small organisation. Its transformation to party of government - and the marginalisation of the Liberal party, and its rise back to coalition politics is the political story of the last 100 years.